Ural cherry standard: characteristics and description of the variety, cultivation and care

Not all varieties of cherries are suitable for growing in the northern regions of Russia. The Ural Standard variety is in demand among amateur gardeners in the region. It was bred by breeders of the Sverdlovsk Horticulture Station of the Research Institute of Agriculture and Central Geographical Laboratory in the Urals (today the Michurin All-Russian Research Institute of Genetics, Fruit Plant Breeding) using seedlings of bush and steppe cherries selected by I.V. Michurin specifically for these purposes.

The bush rarely grows more than 1.5-2 m in height. The culture is valued for its high winter hardiness, disease resistance, and early fruitfulness.

Cherry fruits are large, with a sweet and sour taste, and dark red in color. The harvest begins to ripen in August. The Ural standard is a self-sterile cherry variety; the steppe Ural ruby culture is considered the best pollinator for it.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The Ural Standard cherry variety is very popular among regional gardeners. The tree forms a wide crown at a height of 2 m. Cherry does not need regular thinning, since the shoots have an average growth rate. Considered to be an early variety.

The Standard Ural variety bears fruit at the end of July.

The Ural standard is one of the most productive and frost-resistant “northern” varieties.

Features of culture:

The variety grows not as trees, but as bushes, has an average height, a wide, sparse, slightly drooping and medium-density crown. The leaves are laurel-shaped, leathery, shiny. Cherries are self-fertile and require appropriate proximity. More precisely, it bears fruit on its own, but you can reap maximum yields only if you have the appropriate pollinators.
The fruits grow on annual growths around the third year after planting. On average, 7-8 kg of fruits are collected from one tree. You can start collecting them at the end of June, but look at the degree of ripeness - you may need to wait. The berries are large, have a flat round shape, red color, and shiny skin. The purpose of the variety is primarily technical. The stalk is firmly attached, so the tearing will be “wet”. The flesh is tender.

Advantages

Despite the good winter hardiness of the variety, young cherries need winter shelter in cold regions. The low height of the bush allows you to do this without any problems.

Among the positive qualities, gardeners highlight:

frost resistance;
low maintenance requirements;
good yield indicator;
resistance to fungal diseases;
small dimensions;
early fruiting . The first harvest can be tasted 3–4 years after planting. Cherries ripen at the end of June.

and disadvantages

According to general reviews, the variety also has disadvantages:

need for pollinators ;
The peculiarity of the variety is that the fruits do not have a dessert taste; their purpose is more technical . The sour-sweet flavor and bright color give richness to compotes and jam.

Standard Ural cherries are usually grown for jam, compotes and tinctures.

Peculiarities

Let's look at the main features of the Standard Ural variety of cherries:

Winter hardiness is high, so the yield will be stable in any season. Even if in the spring the air temperature was standard, but sharp changes were observed, there was no decrease in fertility.
Resistance to diseases is good, especially to fungi (moniliosis and coccomycosis). Coccomycosis is a fungal disease that affects almost all stone fruits. It begins with the appearance of red dots, yellowing, and drying of the leaves. Moniliosis is accompanied by a change in the color of the foliage from to brown, the fruits rot, crumble, and a characteristic gray coating appears on the bark.

This link will tell you how to treat cherry moniliosis.

In order for trees to resist these diseases well and other pathologies (for example, infectious ones), they need to be looked after and regularly undergo preventive treatments.

pollinators for normal fruiting, since although the crop itself bears fruit, with the right proximity the yields will be much higher. Pollinator varieties are planted at a distance of no more than 30 meters; make sure that there are no tree-like plants between them that attract the attention of insects. If the area is small and there is not enough space to plant a whole set of crops, grafting is performed. If you cannot graft the desired variety, place the sprouts in a container of water and place the containers around the trees to be pollinated. For pollination, you can plant next to the cherry - Vole, Volzhanka, Ural rowan, Mayak, Griot Pobeda. You can attract bees by spraying the bushes with a spoonful of honey per 3 liters of water. You can plant different varieties of cherries near the Ural Standard - this way the yield will also be higher.
Ripening period, yield, transportability - the fruits of the tree variety are large in size, have a sweet and sour technical taste and juicy pulp. The harvest is harvested from June to August.

This material will tell you about the Ural rowan cherry.

Cherry Standard Ural grows well, but only in appropriate soils. The best option is alkaline soils.

Growing

For normal growth, Standard Ural cherries need competent agricultural technology:

Climatic conditions - as for other varieties, choose a site away from cold winds, warm, sunny. High humidity is harmful to shrubs - if possible, plant on hills, hills, or simply in places where groundwater lies quite deep (at least 2 m).
Soils that are suitable are slightly acidic, fertile, rich in nutrients and neutral. The mechanical composition is either light loam, sandy, or sandy loam. If the soil is acidic, add 5 kg of dolomite flour to the hole; you can add another bucket of sand to each hole.
Planting is done using high-quality seedlings, since poor planting material simply will not sprout. You should buy them in specialized stores or nurseries; give preference to trees with developed roots. Constantly water the soil – both in the container and in the planting hole. The seedling's buds must be intact, without signs of disease or damage, and the roots must be fresh, without dry parts.

Read about cherry varieties for the Urals here.

Pre-treat the roots of the planting material with Kornevin and soak them.

The procedure for planting shrubs in open ground:

The holes are marked at a distance of about 2 m from each other (since the bushes are small). Don’t forget about the need to plant pollinators on the site if they don’t already exist, and if there are, draw up a diagram taking into account the location of different trees.
The hole is dug to a depth of 68-80cm, the width may be slightly smaller.
The top layer of soil is separated, mixed with compost, peat, manure (take strictly rotted) in a ratio of 1 to 1. Remove the lower clay parts or leave them to form the sides of the hole. You can add potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to the planting hole - about 300 g.
into the bottom of the hole - this is necessary to create high-quality drainage.
Humus, dolomite flour, a mixture of soil and humus are thoroughly mixed, then the hole is filled with the resulting mass a little more than halfway, and a peg is installed.
A hill is formed from the earth, the roots are carefully straightened. The neck of the roots should be at soil level.
The seedling is immersed in the hole and covered.

That's all - all that remains is to tie the seedling to a peg, compact the soil and form a hole for watering. Additionally, it is recommended to mulch the area around the trunk with sawdust or peat to retain moisture at the roots.

Landing requirements

Choosing the right seedling does not guarantee high yield. The tree needs to be planted successfully, preparing a good place.

The planting site should be sunny and protected from the wind.
This variety does not like waterlogged soil , so planting is carried out on hills and hills. It is advisable to choose areas with deep groundwater (at least 2 m).

In damp areas and clay soils, cherries are planted on a mound.

Seedlings must have a well-developed root system.

Landing algorithm

Planting is carried out using the following technology:

The holes are marked at a distance of 2 m from each other.
If there are no pollinating varieties on the site, then it is advisable to purchase and plant them at the same time as the Standard Ural cherry.
The planting scheme is drawn up taking into account the placement of different varieties.
The depth of the hole depends on the quality of the soil and the development of the root system. The average is 70–80 cm.

Construction of a standard planting pit.

The width of the planting hole also depends on the root ball. It is enough to make a hole with a diameter of 60–70 cm.
Preparing the soil for a planting hole is as follows: the top layer of soil is mixed with compost, rotted manure, peat in a 1:1 ratio; potassium-phosphorus fertilizers ( no more than 0.3 kg ) can be added to each hole.
Drainage is poured into the bottom of the hole. It is necessary to prevent moisture stagnation. You can use fine crushed stone, gravel, sand.

The thickness of the drainage layer is at least 10–15 cm.

The tree trunk circle is watered several times until the water stops being absorbed; soil is added if necessary.

Caring for a tree consists of watering, fertilizing, and periodic pruning.

Watering is carried out as needed . You should not overdry the soil, but it is not recommended to overwater the cherries. If the summer is rainy, the amount of watering is reduced.
It is better to use natural compounds as fertilizers . You can use diluted chicken droppings, humus or mineral fertilizers.
Pruning is carried out in early spring . Remove damaged or improperly growing branches.
In spring and late autumn, whitewashing of trunks is carried out . This will help protect the wood from sunburn and insect pests.

For whitewashing, prepare a lime mortar or use commercial paint for fruit trees.

Care

Basic measures for caring for Standard Ural cherries:

Watering – it should not be insufficient or excessive. Moisten the soil on a schedule or every time it dries out. For one watering, 3 buckets of water are enough; it is better to add liquid liberally, but rarely, than little by little, but often. The nutrition of the root system should be especially active during fruit setting. Before harvesting, watering is suspended - otherwise the keeping quality and transportability of the fruit will decrease. After each procedure, the soil is mulched with hay or fresh grass.

Be sure to water your cherries before frost sets in and as soon as you harvest.

Fertilizers must be applied. Cow and bird droppings are ideal for Standard Ural cherries; complex mineral fertilizers can be used. It is advisable to apply fertilizing in stages - in the spring, during the period of active flowering, in mid-summer (the period of active fruiting). Do the loosening superficially - it is not recommended to be too zealous. Weeds rarely appear, but if they do appear, they are pulled out.
Pruning is needed to maintain the shape of the crown, eliminate thickening, and cut off broken, young, spindly, crossing, and thickening branches. How and when to do the correct pruning of a cherry tree depends on the growth rate of the branches; it is usually done in the second year of the tree’s life, in early spring. The root growth is destroyed immediately after formation. To avoid infection, coat the sections with varnish. The weather should be sunny and warm.
Preparation for winter - despite excellent frost resistance, the Ural Standard cherry variety requires proper winter preparation. The bark of young trees without shelter may become cracked, and the trees may become sick and die. For protection, whitewash skeletal branches and trunks in the fall and repeat the procedure in the summer. You also need shelter and a blanket of snow. If there are already frost holes, then in the spring, on a warm sunny day, be sure to strip the affected parts of the bark to healthy parts and treat them with 1% Bordeaux mixture, apply a thin layer of garden varnish, and tie it with burlap.

Read how to spray cherries here.

After the onset of persistent cold weather, cover young cherry seedlings with spruce branches to protect them from the cold and rodents.

Pros and cons of the variety

The fruits of the Ural Standard cherry have bactericidal properties and are used in cosmetology, medicine, and cooking.
Nutrients from the pulp are absorbed well, the variety will be useful for children and adults. The variety is not afraid of precipitation, neither is frost - in general it is quite resistant to external factors, prolific, productive, “strong”, exactly what is needed in the northern regions of Russia. To protect against fungal diseases and pests, carry out preventive treatments. This link will tell you why the leaves on the cherry tree do not bloom.

The fruits of the Standard Ural cherry may not be the most delicious, but they are very healthy. They contain a whole range of microelements and nutrients.

The disadvantages of the culture are the “technical” (and not dessert) taste of the fruit. Unprotected buds can freeze in harsh winters. Early fruiting is mediocre - the crop does not begin to bear fruit earlier than 3-4 years of age. The crown thickens weakly; pollinators are needed.

A little about cherries

The culture is shrubs or trees belonging to the Rosaceae family, genus Plum. Cherries are cultivated in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

The fruits are round or oval in shape, covered with a rather dense shiny skin on top. The color of the berries can be different shades of red. They have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. There is a small bone in the middle. Cherries can grow as a spreading bush or a low tree.

Cherries are extremely popular not only because of their unique taste, but also because of their composition. The fruits contain:

sugar,
glucose,
vitamins,
amino acids,
microelements, etc.

This composition of the berries means that they are used not only fresh, but also for the preparation of syrups, preserves, jams, compotes and other dishes.

The color of the berries can be different shades of red

Berries are often used in medicine and cosmetology. Eating cherry fruits can prevent the development of such unpleasant ailments as atherosclerosis, anemia, varicose veins, hypertension, stomach or duodenal ulcers.

Face masks made from cherry juice or pulp help improve skin color, make it more elastic and youthful.

Interesting! Most cherries are grown in Iran and Turkey.